When the USS Macon met its end, the Navy's zeppelin ambitions died with it. The USS Macon was one of only two flying aircraft carriers ever built. The other was her sister ship, the USS Akron. The Macon was built by Prague-born engineer Dr. Karl Arnstein in Akron, Ohio. Her first flight was in April 1933. Both the Macon and the Akron were capable of carrying small F9C “Sparrowhawk” propeller planes, which were launched and retrieved during flight.